PCPC / UGPC
Guidelines For Shepherds

DEFINITION - A shepherd is a member of the Undergraduate/Postgraduate Coursework Programs Committee with designated responsibility for one or more faculties or graduate schools. A shepherd’s role is to:

• provide curriculum advice in the design of new subjects and new course proposals;
• provide guidance on the approval processes to be followed for new undergraduate/postgraduate course proposals and major changes to existing undergraduate/postgraduate courses;
• ensure that the faculties/graduate schools use the correct pathway for approvals and the appropriate forms and assist with liaison between the faculty/graduate school and the committees, as requested;
• review proposals for new/amended student awards and ensure that they follow the established guidelines;
• provide comments on proposed changes to legislation of an academic nature and;
• provide advice to the Undergraduate/Postgraduate Committee on submissions coming from the faculties on matters detailed above.

1. NEW DEGREE (Undergraduate and Postgraduate) COURSE PROPOSALS

Course changes are of three general sorts:

1. course changes requiring Committee approval
2. quarterly reports of matters dealt with by faculties under delegated authority presented by faculties in February, April, July, October and considered by the Committee one month later
3. urgent or late changes

1. Changes Requiring Committee Approval

For an overview of the approval process for proposals for new courses and major changes to existing courses see Course approval – flow chart.

 Shepherds must be very familiar with the course approval process which came into operation from February 2008. Their role is to work with faculty/graduate school staff in the development of subject and course proposals and give advice in accordance with policies approved by the Academic Board. They should provide advice to the Faculty/Graduate School/Course Standing Committee on the completion of the appropriate form(s) and ensure that it is referred to the appropriate approving authority as detailed in the pathway approved by Academic Board.

All proposals for a new course, both undergraduate and postgraduate, must be submitted using the appropriate form. For new course proposals Parts A and B of the Form are required. The Shepherd should provide advice regarding the completion of Part B which contains the academic components of the proposal. Part A is a strategic statement and business plan that must be submitted at the same time as part B but is not generally a matter of concern for the shepherd.

Once the proposal proceeds along the approval pathway and reaches the Undergraduate/Postgraduate Committee the shepherd will be required to complete the attached advice form making a recommendation and providing comments to UGPC/PCPC on whether the proposal should be given approval by the Committee.

Parts and A and B should be submitted directly to the Office of the Director, Academic Programs as the first step along the approval pathway.

 Where there are matters requiring clarification arising from the contents of Part B the Director, Academic Programs may seek the advice of the shepherd in resolving these queries or request the shepherd to liaise with the appropriate body (Faculty/Graduate School/Course Standing Committee) to assist with this process.

2. MAJOR CHANGES TO EXISTING UNDEGRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE COURSE PROPOSALS: FORMS PART A AND C

Course changes are of three general sorts:

1. Major course changes requiring Committee approval.

Where major changes to a course are required, Parts A and C are submitted to the Academic Programs Management Committee through the office of the Director (Academic Programs);

NB,major changes are defined as:

• change affecting the requirements for completion of a course, including: alterations to the overall structure and/or total duration of a course or a program/stream within a course;
• introduction or deletion of compulsory subjects;
• amendments affecting points values or the level of study of compulsory subjects;
• changes in honours requirements, including to year of entry into honours;
• major changes in mode of offering, e.g. introduction of distance delivery, introduction of intensive teaching,
• changes to transfer of EFTSU or changes to the involvement of another faculty, etc.

A major change requires the completion of Parts A and C of the course approval form.

2. Quarterly Reports of matters dealt with by faculties/graduate schools under delegated authority submitted in February, April, July, October and considered by the Committee one month later;
   
3. Urgent and Late Changes There are separate undergraduate and postgraduate Late Change Forms. The form is sent directly to the Secretary of the Committee (UGPC or PCPC).

1. Changes Requiring Committee Approval
   
   1.1 Faculties develop proposals and are required to complete Parts A and C. The shepherd should advise and assist the Faculty with the completion of Part C and ensure that both Part A and C are referred to the Director, Academic Programs as the first step in the approval pathway.
   
   1.2 The shepherd gives the proposal a detailed examination both in respect of the requirements set out in the “Guidelines for Submission of Course Proposals” and on more general academic grounds (appropriate depth etc). The shepherd discusses any difficulties with the appropriate faculty/ graduate school/course standing committee before the forms are submitted and attempts to iron out any difficulties.
   
   1.3 Once the proposal has proceeded through the pathway for approval and been referred to UGPC/PCPC shepherds are required to make a recommendation using the attached form on whether the Committee should give the proposal -
   
   1. approval without change,
   2. approval with major/minor amendments as negotiated between the shepherd and faculty/graduate school
   3. returned to the authors without approval.
2. Quarterly Reports
   
   Quarterly Reports are submitted directly to the Secretary of the UGPC or PCPC, with a copy sent to the Director, Academic Programs for noting by the Academic Programs Management Committee (APMC). Shepherds are required to make a recommendation on the Quarterly Report to UGPC/PCPC using the Shepherd’s Report form (UGPC) (PCPC).
   
   As there can sometimes be doubt about where to draw the line between what must come to the Committee and what faculties may approve under delegated authority, the Shepherd keeps an eye out for changes that ought to have been submitted to the Committee for approval but were not.
   
   Only a summary of the changes approved by faculties/graduate schools is circulated to the Committee members (generally reports are very bulky).
   
3. Urgent and Late Changes

Urgent or late changes, which may include minor matters that ordinarily would be handled by a faculty under delegated authority (eg assessment changes made during a semester for that semester), are also sent directly to the Secretary of UGPC or PCPC, with a copy sent to the Director, Academic Programs for noting by APMC. Late changes in New Generation undergraduate degrees need to be sent via the Chair of the relevant Course Standing Committee.

The Secretary forwards the proposal to the shepherd, who makes a recommendation directly to the President of the Academic Board, copied to the Committee Secretary, who reports the change to UGPC/ PCPC's subsequent meeting. This process is conducted entirely by email in order to expedite matters.

Shepherds need to be assured that the changes are justified. It is essential that wherever possible students are not disadvantaged by late changes and in reviewing the request shepherds are required to ensure that this is the case.

3. STUDENT AWARDS (includes Prizes, Scholarships etc)

Here the shepherd does not usually play a role in the development process. Student award proposals are scrutinised by the shepherd in relation to matters such as the eligibility, assessment of applications and selection criteria proposed for the award. In particular, shepherds are expected to assess the practicality of the proposed administration of the award and matters of equity surrounding selection and assessment.

Shepherds are required to make a recommendation on the proposal for a new student award or change to an existing student award to UGPC/PCPC using the Shepherd’s Report form (UGPC) (PCPC).